Live Well

“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day…“

Hate to sound like that, but it really is. A healthy breakfast is the key to starting off right not only in the morning, but also to begin on the right foot and make positive meal choices throughout the day. In this post, I’ll explain some simple options to choose for a great-tasting, easily-prepared and healthy ways to jump-start the day. This post does not concern hot items or recipes; it shall explain some supermarket buys that are optimal for a healthy morning meal.

Forget bacon and eggs; this is the vegetarian power breakfast!

1. Cereal (both cold or hot) is an absolute staple of a healthful, filling and nutrition-providing breakfast. Look for cereals with these things in particular: fiber, protein, and (sometimes) healthy fat (later post); and, without these things: excess sugar (later post), unhealthy fat or excessive carbohydrates. I so heartily recommend Kashi’s wonderful line of GoLean cereals, as pictured. I know I keep saying this, but I will do a later spotlight post on Kashi; its products truly should be part of a vegetarian’s diet! Another high-quality brand is Nature’s Path. Look for these in the supermarket; they will serve you well in starting off your breakfast the right way.

Common Myth:

“Look! This cereal’s got lots of vitamins! It must be healthy!”

Alright. Vitamins aren’t a bad thing when eaten in the right quantity, and it’s great if a cereal includes them. However, don’t overlook the other parts on the Nutrition Facts. Make sure the cereal has a significant source of protein and fiber; vitamins can be obtained simply with a multivitamin (later post). Many companies use this advertising as a trick to make consumers think their cereals are the healthiest out there.

*cough* Total cereal…don’t listen to their ad against Kashi…

Also, don’t stress too much about calories. If you’re watching, then keep them in mind; however, don’t turn off a healthy cereal because of calorie content as many great cereals can be higher in calories due to the healthy fats or other nutrient-rich ingredients. I’ll do a post on the hype surrounding calories later.

2. Milk, soy milk, rice milk or any of the other milks out there these days (it’s amazing what they can make milk out of anymore) is cereal’s trusty sidekick! Depending on your vegetarian status or preference, any of these products is a refreshing and nutritionally-beneficial addition to cereal. I use Silk’s wonderful Vanilla Soymilk which is packed with vitamins, healthy fat and protein. If soy is not the preference (I’ll do a post on soy, too!), there are many available options including the ones listed as well as almond milk or hemp milk (future post too…)

3. Fruit is a wonderful food and can enhance your breakfast both in taste and in nutrition. There’ll be a spotlight on fruit coming up, but it is necessary to mention it here because it should no doubt be included in a vegetarian’s (or anyone’s!) power breakfast. With significant fiber and so many vitamins and nutrients, it is an excellent food to include in generous quantities. I’ve found it to help also “wake you up” and give energy and a fresh start to the day. Some recommended kinds would be grapes, berries, citrus (oranges, clementines, grapefruit), apples, bananas … anything, really. Try it fresh, frozen, dried; there are so many creative ways to include this superfood into a diet!

4. Juice, although often trashed on by today’s anti-sugar-obsessed mothers, can be an excellent accompaniment to a power breakfast. It depends, of course, on the product purchased and the way it is consumed. If the juice choice is something along the lines of “Fruity-Tasting Punch Tropical Mix”, it’s probably not the best option. However, choose something like “Pure Orange Juice, Not from Concentrate” (for example, Simply Orange) that even as a bonus has calcium, this could be a better selection. A way I’ve found to be healthy to incorporate juice into breakfast is to have half-juice, half-water rather than straight juice. It is an acquired taste; though, after awhile, this lower-sugar option will grow on you and it might become the preference anyway.

5. Coffee, tea or any other hot beverage is a nice accompaniment, of course, to a breakfast. Depending on the method of preparation and the product chosen, there can be different nutritional effects and even environmental effects. Of course, using four sugars and heavy cream is not the best. If this is what the usual is, try slowly lowering the amount used until it might even be acquired that no sugar at all is the preference. Experiment and try different teas and coffees as well. Stash and Bigelow, both great tea companies, offer some interesting and exciting tea flavors. As for the environmental impact, always look to prefer products that have been sustainably grown. For example, a product called Yerba Maté that has recently become popular is similar to tea or coffee but is grown in areas that, in large, support sustainable rainforest harvesting.

Also, for those of you who need the caffeine rush. You’ll find that I am personally against caffeine; however, there is not true evidence that is has a negative effect. I just find that it is unnecessary to use a stimulant like caffeine in the morning and it should be avoided for a power breakfast. Try herbal or decaf products. C’mon; you can do it.

So, there are some options for you that are excellent, tasty and won’t break the bank. A vegetarian power breakfast will serve you well and hopefully this information will guide those who might otherwise skip breakfast or just grab a Pop-Tart and go. I can tell you from basically eating the items listed here that this plan has made such the difference for me and this breakfast is truly a great plan for starting the day strong! Especially for those who need energy for work, school, or exercise.

Enjoy and feel free to comment.

Be well,

Brian

Note: In this post, I didn’t specifically refer to any sources.

P.S. I apologize for always mentioning that I will write about a certain topic in the future. I have many ideas for posts and want to let readers know what is coming up.

Thanks and spread the word!